Epilogue

Evansville, IN

July 9, 1987

It had taken almost a year, but Eleven finally found what she was looking for. While the idea had nagged at the back of her mind almost from the beginning, it wasn't until she returned to school in the fall that she started her search in earnest. Every Saturday, Ms. White, the librarian, had a fresh stack of newspapers for her to dig through. There wasn't much information to go on and she knew it was a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack situation; Mike had explained that phrase as he helped her dig through the endless yellowed pages. She didn't even know exactly when or where it would have happened, if it had happened at all. Still, Eleven was confident she would recognize it once she saw it. Finally, all their work paid off as she read through the Evansville Courier and Press for Sunday June 22, 1986.

It is with great sadness that the family of George Collins announces his passing on Friday, June 20, 1986, at the age of 88 years. George was preceded in death by Jennifer, his wife of 66 years. Services are scheduled for this Tuesday, June 24th at Oak Hill Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest beside his beloved Jenny.

George and Jenny; she had found them. She knew it had to be him, and that meant everything that happened while she lay in that hospital bed had been real. She read the first line again, stopping on the date of his passing; June 20th was the same day she found her way home. He had helped her find her way, and then moved on to finally reunite with the woman he loved.

With summer jobs this year, it took a few days before their schedules lined up and Mike and Eleven could get away for a whole day. After getting the okay from Hopper, they loaded up Mike's car and made the drive across the state to pay their overdue final respects. It occurred to them as they merged onto the highway and headed south that it was the first time they had left Hawkins, just the two of them. As they drove, Eleven recounted for Mike everything she could remember about her time in that other place and everything George did to help her get home. He had heard the story countless times but never grew tired of hearing her tell it; she could read the phonebook to him and he wouldn't mind one bit. He loved hearing her talk, such a change from the girl who barely spoke a few dozen words the whole first week he knew her.

On their way through Evansville, Eleven spotted a sign for Central High School. They couldn't help but laugh at the fact that tucked away in their respective wallets, they each still carried the forged student ids from Central that Hopper had prepared for them. It stuck them as fitting that the school they pretended to attend while on the run was where George had spent his career teaching English literature. Part of Eleven wished she could have actually been his student, though his obituary confirmed he had been retired for many years now so it wouldn't have happened for more than one reason.

Soon enough, they arrived at the cemetery and quietly crossed the lush, green lawns until they located the graves they were looking for. Kneeling together between George and Jennifer, Eleven carefully removed four roses from the box she was carrying and passed two of them to Mike. Together they laid the flowers on the pair of headstones and offered what thanks they could to these people they never knew, but whom they owed so much.

"Hi George, it's Jane," she began, not quite sure just what to say now that they were finally there. "I made it home, but I guess you already figured that out. I can't ever thank you enough for what you did. I don't know if I would have found my way back without your help."

Turning to address the other headstone, she continued. "Hi Jenny, I'm Jane. I'm sorry he took longer getting to you because of me. I hope you two are together again, living out your next adventure someplace really beautiful."

Mike took a turn then, adding his thanks to her own. "Hi George. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for helping her find her way back to me. We both would have been lost without you."

Eleven reached into her purse and fished out a special gift she had brought for George. She hadn't been sure whether it was a good idea or not, but Mike had reassured her it was perfect.

"I wasn't sure if you would have it, wherever you are now, so I want you to have my copy. I really liked it and I can see why you enjoyed a story about the long journey home," she said quietly as she laid a paperback copy of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea beside the flowers.

Mike placed an arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. For a few minutes, all felt right with the world as they let the warm summer sunshine and a quiet aftermoon breeze envelop them.

Author's Note:

And so our story draws to a close. Will Twelve remain forever trapped in the dream circle or will Eleven one day be able to let her free? Or will she find a way out on her own? Your guess is as good as mine, though I like to think someday Eleven will help her understand. I don't have any current plans for a sequel, but that could always change if the right inspiration strikes.

I want to take a few minutes and sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to leave a review or send a PM, as well as everyone who has taken the time just to read this story. This is the first story of any significant length I have ever written, so the warm reception it has received is amazingly appreciated.

So what's next from darthstormer? Short answer: more ideas than time. I have a non-traditional work with some options in the works that I hope to post in the coming weeks. For those following The Long Search, and anxiously awaiting more, I haven't forgotten about you. I am working out the outline and timeline for I Will Bring You Home, which is Mike's story in the Long-Search AU. I really want to step carefully into to the story since we are spanning such a long timeline and will be going back and forth a bit. But rest assured, it is coming, and I promise you won't have to wait 353 days.

Once more, just a huge and heartfelt thanks to everyone for your support.

darthstormer